Dreamer
by funfan41
Summary: Prequel to Watcher. Luke is recovering from a strange virus, Han helps and something creepy is going on around them... COMPLETED! And reviews are still most welcome!
1. the house

Disclaimer: Luke, Han and all StarWars Universe belong to George Lucas.

Rating: M

Time period: Shortly after ROTJ

Warnings: Slash. Luke/Han pairing.

This is a prequel to "Watcher".

**DREAMER**

_Chapter One_

_**Han Solo's personal log**_

_They said he would recover. Eventually. _

_He definitely looks better. His hair is shiny and silky again. It had grown long, and it sort of softened his features, making him look incredibly young. He's not as pale as he was before he left quarantine. All the muscles he got in his Jedi training are lost, though – he's now as skinny as he was when we first met. And he can't use the Force, at least not as easily as before. Lack of training, he says. I think there's more to it, and he's trying to hide._

_Nobody knows where or how he caught the damn bug. Docs said it was an artificial virus, especifically created to affect Force sensitives. Dammit. I should've known better. The war may be over but many of our enemies are still out there, just waiting for a chance to bring us down. _

_The hell I'm gonna let them get to him again. I'm taking him to a safe house as soon as he's OK to travel and gonna make sure nobody'll know where we are except Leia and Chewie. I'd rather go after whoever did that to the kid and blast their asses off but there was no clue for me to track – the sonofabitches were damn cautious. So the only thing I can do for now is try to protect him the best I can. Chewie's keeping an eye on Leia. Very few know that she's Luke's sister but better be safe than sorry. _

_**End of log**_

The house was large, made of white stones and dark wood. Colorful flowerbeds surrounded it and their scent floated in the cool breeze. It was possible to hear the soft sounds of the seashore down the hill, and the whispering that came from the woods on the other side.

"Are we staying here?" his voice sounded so much more like the once naive farmboy he used to be – it was as if his last ordeals had somehow left him bare, stripped of all his defenses. The walls around his heart, carefully built after each loss, each disappointment, had come down.

Han Solo smiled and ruffled his younger friend's hair, a gesture he'd had stopped doing a while ago, thinking it was kind of unseemly towards a Jedi Knight. But now, maybe because of the kid's vulnerable state, it felt right doing that.

"Thought you'd like it. Leia wanted you to stay in her state there in Coruscant but docs said you needed some peace and quiet for a while and I figured you'd never have a decent rest in a place like that. Not with politics literally pouring out of every wall."

"You're right. Coruscant is definitely not the right place to rest." still staring at the house, Luke sighed in contentment. "It's great. It looks so cozy... like the houses I used to draw when I was little. Thanks, Han."

After a moment of companiable silence the two friends gathered their carrybags and entered the house.

Artoo Detoo tooted happily as he rushed to welcome his Master. He had spent the whole morning tuning the house systems and now everything was perfect: the thermo adjusted to be comfortable for both Luke and Han Solo, not too hot, not too cold; the food synth programmed with their favorite dishes; supplies checked; household droids instructed in details about their tasks; and of course, security set to maximum level. The small R2 unit would never forgive himself if something happened to his Master – although he had been reprogrammed and formatted many times before he met Luke Skywalker there were remnants of memory in his AI chips that told him the name Skywalker was somehow related to his making. That turned Master Luke into someone of much more prominance than any other Master the droid ever had.

The door opened quietly.

"Hello, Artoo!" Luke patted the droid's head affectionately and received a glad chirp in return. "Missed you. Has the pirate here treated you well?"

Another chirp followed by some toots made the boy laugh. Han chose to ignore whatever the damn tin can was telling Luke and glanced at the living room. There was a couch and an armchair in front of the holovid set, with lots of soft cushions; a large window showed them a wonderful view of the mountains on the left and the sea on the right; there were vases of exotic flowers and plants decorating the walls – that would please the kid, being a desert dweller he was always fascinated by water and vegetation. At the back of the room Han could see a circular hall and the doors to the bedrooms. Simple, pleasant and comfy, with nothing of the majestic but edgy beauty of the Palace in Coruscant where Leia and Han were almost obliged to stay soon after the end of the war. It was the economic and political core of the Galaxy, the best place for the leaders of the New Republic, Mom Mothma insisted. It was no big deal for Leia – she was used to live in such places – but Han could barely stand that for half a year. First of all, he hated the atmosphere of deception that prevailed in those long and impecably decorated corridors of power. And then, as his relationship with Leia ended – and what a surprisingly dispassionate end it had been! - , there was no more reason to stay there. He left the palace with a great sigh of relief and feeling a bit puzzled by the fact that neither Leia nor himself were particularly upset by the separation. It was as if they _wanted_ to break up since long ago and were just waiting for the right time.

"Han?" a warm hand on his shoulder startled the Corellian from his thoughts. He grinned.

"Just thinking what we could have for lunch, kid. Don't know about you but I'm starving."

"So am I. Why don't we ask Artoo to fix something in the food synth while we take our stuff to the bedrooms?"

Before Han could answer the small droid hastily rolled to the kitchen bleeping softly and Luke headed for one of the bedrooms.

"Yeah, sounds good to me... if anyone wants to know."

_**Luke Skywalker's personal log**_

_It's not working the way it used to. I can't sense things. My strenght and reflexes have dropped down to the levels they were before my Jedi training. When I try to use the Force I feel drained and my head aches so bad I have to lie down for a while. It's so frustrating! _

_The virus is now inactive but still present in my bloodstream, firmly glued to the midichlorian cells – the doctors couldn't eliminate it. Maybe that's what is hindering my Jedi abilities. But if this virus can do this even being inactive, then it would mean I will never recover completely unless they find a way to get this bug off me. And worse of all, I will never be able even to stay in the same room with Leia again because I can contaminate her. _

_Han's worried. He does his best not to show but I can see it in his eyes. I didn't tell him the real extent of the after effects of my disease, didn't want to upset him even more, but I think he's suspecting something. Good old Han, so many times he rescued me, protected me, taught me, I owe him so much, just hope I can live enough to make it up for everything somehow... _

_**End of log**_

It was late afternoon when Han finished responding all the messages received – well, at least all the important ones. He also sent word to Leia and Chewie telling them that everything was OK. Luke had gone out to explore the garden with Artoo on his heels so there was no reason to worry, the little tin can could be a pain in the ass but it was also an excellent watchdog. Yawning and stretching the Corellian headed for the bathroom. He would take a shower and then, find the kid and make him sit quietly and watch a holovid or something. It was good to exercise some but what Luke needed more right now was to rest, especially after the long trip from Coruscant to Corellia.

He didn't have to go far after his young friend; he found Luke in the living room already dozing off on the couch.

The boy was comfortably nestled in the soft cushions, his right hand hidden under his left arm. His face was flushed, lips slightly parted. Han sat on the floor beside the couch after a moment of hesitation. Long hours of desperate vigil came to his mind, endless hours watching Luke in a coma, the skin ashen pale, vital signs dropping down to impossibly low levels.

_"The Jedi is no more."_

A voice that came from nowhere tormenting him as he saw hope diminishing in the doctors' gloomy faces.

_"The Jedi is no more."_

No.

The Corellian forcefully pushed the memory back to the recesses of his mind. The voice was wrong. Luke survived. He was there, alive and sleeping peacefully. Han reached out and gently brushed the tousled bangs from the boy's forehead. The feel of soft hair and warm skin under his fingers sent shivers through his body. A painful tenderness weighed on his chest. He could see all the scars, physical or not, that Luke beared._ I shouldn't keep calling you kid, should I? You grew tougher, stronger as I never thought you could be in a matter of... what? Three years? Four? _Had it been only a few years since he first met the kid? It was more like decades... more like an entire life. In a blink of an eye, Luke turned from a wide-eyed innocent farmboy to a tough little soldier, then to a wise Jedi Knight. And through all these changes, Han had seen his own feelings change, from amused disdain to reluctant admiration, then to open friendship, then to... what?

A small sigh escaped from the soft lips as Luke made a move with his right hand. Han recognized that movement: he had seen it a thousand times whenever he saw the kid exercising with his lightsaber. He was probably training in his dreams. The Corellian chuckled at the sight and couldn't help caressing the sleeping face.

_You never give up, do you, kid? They betray you, take advantage of you, try to kill you, and still you don't give up. How could you, when there's a Galaxy to save, huh? Ah, kid, there's so much for you to learn and see, stuff your Jedi hocus-pocus will never teach you... like how to make a perfect looping maneuver in hyperspace, or the best time of the year to see the sunset in Orchara II, or the taste of Kashyykian honey. Or this..._

TBC

What else can Luke "learn and see"? Will Han teach him?

Don't worry, dear reader, chapter two is already almost finished and will be posted soon.

Meanwhile, thanks for reading and if you review it, I'll be jumping and rolling in pure joy...

funfan41


	2. friends and lovers?

Luke was drifting in the foggy zone between sleep and awareness when a strange and very physical sensation invaded the tangle of meaningless dreams and memories he was in. Something warm and soft brushing his lips, gentle and insistent, making him sigh in confused pleasure. Suddenly it was inside his mouth, caressing, exploring, and rough fingers were tracing slow, aimless paths on his face. He never thought kissing could feel so good... huh? Kissing? But he was in a safe house and the only other human being allowed in there besides himself was...

Blue eyes opened and blinked incredulously.

Han.

It had to be a dream. One of those wet dreams he's been having once in a while ever since he first met the Corellian. After all, Luke Skywalker _never_ got what he wanted so easily – the things he wanted most were usually either totally out of reach or very close to it. No, it had to be a dream. He was dreaming that Han had kissed him and now was staring at him. His face was so different. So soft and vulnerable and... and...

"Beautiful." he was startled by his own voice, hoarse and still heavy with sleep. Gods, had he said that aloud?

The young Jedi raised a hand hesitantly and touched the other man's kiss-swollen lips. He was shocked to feel hot, wet and very real flesh.

_Han kissed me... He really kissed me!_

His heart was now beating at light-speed, engulfed in a mix of exhilaration and terror; he felt dizzy with the turmoil of contradictory feelings and sensations. Oh boy, what was he to do now? Should he say something, should he keep quiet, should he... Then, he remembered something Ben Kenobi used to say when teaching him the Jedi ways.

_Don't think, do._

Han was stunned by his own actions, mentally kicking himself for letting his body make decisions instead of his brains. But when the kid gave a very shy smile and upturned his face, like offering for another kiss all rational thoughts flew away for good.

They kissed again, slowly and passionately, and this time the Corellian managed to sneak a hand inside Luke's shirt for more skin contact. Sighing softly the young Jedi arched, responding to the touch. The feeling of warm flesh moving voluptuously under his palm only made him crave more and more for that slender, beautiful body. He wanted desperately to strip the boy and screw him senseless. He wanted to hear the kid moan and pant and scream in raw pleasure. He wanted... but that was Luke, his best friend, who had been seriously ill and was now physically and emotionally vulnerable.

He couldn't take advantage of that.

It took all his will not to go any further. With a deep breath Han sat up.

"Hells... I'm sorry, kid." he managed to say that with a reasonably steady voice.

"It's... it's Ok." Luke lowered his eyes, suddenly embarrased. Sith, what was he thinking rubbing himself shamelessly against his friend, letting himself be carried away like some cheap slut... what if he had misunderstood Han's behavior? What if kisses were only a sign of friendly affection for Corellians? He never saw Han kissing another man in all those years but then, the man always said he had no real friends other than Chewbacca and...

"Hey."

A light caress on his face brought Luke back from his confused thoughts. The Corellian was looking at him with that very familiar lopsided grin. The sarcastic retort that usually followed never came, though.

"You didn't do anything wrong, kid."

"Huh?"

"Just wanted to go slow for a change. You've been through a lot, I don't wanna mess up with your head on top of it."

"But..." Luke tried to say that there was no need to go slow, that he had always longed for more than pure friendship from Han. Always. Since their first meeting in that stinking cantina in Mos Eisley... His brain didn't cooperate, though, and he found himself unable to find the right words.

"No brooding about it, Ok? We gotta get you fully recovered first." the Corellian swatted him playfully. "Now, make room. I wanna lie down and watch a holo."

With a small smile, the young Jedi shifted a little so that his friend could settle down by his side.

When Artoo passed by the living room on his way to the kitchen he saw the two humans lying on the couch, very close to each other. Master Luke rested his head on Han Solo's shoulder and Solo was petting Master Luke's hair. Artoo had never seen them in such position but, being a solid and simple technodroid, he dismissed the sight as another of the infinite incongruencies of human behavior.

For some reason, he also dismissed the silent but insistent alert the security system was sending him. And when the central computer queried him about it the answer was fast and sure.

"No intruders in the perimeter. It is a misreading. Security system defective"


	3. taken

Disclaimer: Luke, Han and all StarWars Universe belong to George Lucas. (sorry, forgot to put this in the previous chapter...) 

Rating: M

Time period: Shortly after ROTJ

Warnings: Slash. Luke/Han pairing.

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Taken**_

There was a man hidden in the woods, less than a klic from the safe house. He was tall and strong, and his silver gray hair fell lightly over his shoulders. The pale skin shone unnaturaly in the shadows, and a slow, ferocious smile curved the thin lips.

_The Jedi is no more._

Luke Skywalker would never be able to use his powers to the fullest again. No medical art in the Galaxy would find a way to exterminate the virus in less than 50 years; Palpatine had seen to it. All the scientists and lab personnel involved in the making of the D-101 virus were executed; all the records of the research, destroyed. And without said records, no matter how much money, efforts and will power they invested, they would take at least 5 years only to _start_ to understand how the thing worked... To make things worse a few fake records were planted here and there – they would lead any scientist who found them to nowhere and delay his or her work even more. Everything carefully planned decades ago, long before that pathetic Jedi child was born.

How wicked the late Emperor was... how could one not admire such cunning?

_Do you hear me, Falcon? The Jedi is no more. He is to fade into nothingness. He is to become a shadow..._

Han almost jumped off the couch. For a moment he thought he was back in quarantine, watching Luke fight for survival and hearing that cursed voice in his head again. Then he remembered where he was and what happened – they were watching a holo and, at some point, he had fallen asleep. With a deep sigh of relief the Corellian stood up and looked around. Luke was leaning against the window sill, staring at the view outside.

"It's getting dark." Han flung an arm around his young friend's shoulders. "I think it's dinner time."

Luke frowned a little, as if trying to concentrate in something... then shook his head with a small, irritate snort.

"Your mumbo-jumbo's not working, is it?" the arm around the young Jedi tightened. "Why don't you relax and forget about it for a while? Maybe it'll come to you if you stop forcing."

"Who could ever imagine that one day Han Solo would lecture me about the Force!" Luke laughed in spite being exhausted after that attempt to reach the Force.

"Well, well, well...here I am, generously blessing you with the gift of my wisdom and this is the thanks I got. Laughter! Irony!"

"I know, I know... You are right. I shouldn't be pushing. It's just that I thought I saw someone out there, near the woods and I wanted to check."

"A human being near here?" the Corellian shook his head. "Security would have warned us. That damn tin can of yours would have come here blinking and howling like a freakin' Life Day Surprise Box!"

"Yeah, guess you're right again, General Solo, sir." Luke gave his most impish smile and rested his head on his friend's shoulder. Han was a little surprised when the kid all but sagged against him.

"You OK, junior?"

"Just hold me tight... yeah, and touch my hair the way you were doing before... mmm boy, this is good..."

Luke snuggled closer and started to breath light kisses on Han's neck. The Corellian felt his pants growing tight and uncomfortable. Gods, how could that kid affect him so much by doing so little?

"I love you."

Han Solo froze to the sound of these words.

"Han?" Luke blinked. Had he said something wrong?

"Han?"

---------------------x-------------------------x-------------------------x------------------------x---------------------

The man in the woods stood up in one fluid movement. It was night already. He had been waiting patiently crouched next to a tree for hours, so still that one could mistake him for a statue. He was a Dark Hunter after all.

Artoo Detoo greeted the man with a happy chirp. He knew that Julian Dronn had been one his Master many years ago.

"Hello, Artoo." the Dark Hunter talked in a surprisingly gentle voice.

The small droid made some interrogative sounds.

"Yes, I know it's awful but I have to do it... Yes, probably your Master Luke will die...I'm sorry my little friend but there's nothing you can do."

It was spring in that part of Corellia. That meant while the days were pleasantly warm, nights and early mornings were foggy and chilly, especially near the sea.

Luke shivered and wrapped himself tighter in his cloak. In spite of the uncomfortable chill he liked to walk on the beach and watch the sunrise. It was beautiful and quiet. Quiet... the thought made him smirk. When had Luke Skywalker, the reckless brat who was always dreaming about adventures, taken to long for **_quiet_**?

_When I found out who my father was._

_When I lost my right hand._

_When I gave up counting casualties because I couldn't stand it anymore._

_When I saw that things changed so little after we won the war._

_When I realized I loved Han..._

Seven hells, why had he opened his big, huge mouth and said those three little words? It was too soon, he knew it, but couldn't help blurting out like a stupid teenager... and that probably scared Han stiff. His reaction said it all: after a moment of awkward silence he had smiled half-heartedly and patted Luke's shoulder.

"I said I wanted to go slow, remember? Things are still kinda fuzzy after all that happened. Feelings can change once you're back in business."

What did that mean? That Han thought he could simply change his mind after he was recovered? Or was the man uncertain about _his own_ feelings?

The young Jedi gave a frustrated snort. Two days had passed since that cursed confession and they had returned to the old buddy-routine. It was as if all the happened – the kiss and the time they had spent deliciously cuddling – had been a dream.

"May I ask what causes a child so young to frown before such wonderful sunrise?"

Luke all but jumped in alarm. Even without his Jedi abilities he hardly was taken unawares so easily; whoever it was, had approached in absolute silence.

The man was more than a head taller than Luke and stronger; although he was smiling and apparently unarmed, the young Jedi sensed danger.

"I am sorry if I startled you." the Dark Hunter bowed lightly. "My name is Julian Dronn. I am... a neighbor."

"Han said this area was restricted." under the cloak, Luke slid a hand to his blaster.

"Han? Ah, you mean your guardian. It's... Solo, isn't it? One of the oldest clans of Falcons. But as far as I can see he knows nothing about his heritage, so he cannot do much to protect you."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Luke drawn out his blaster. Julian Dronn raised his hand mockingly. Then his face turned into a cold mask.

"I have work to do on you, child and I can't do it here in the open. You will come with me!"

Luke pulled the trigger once, twice, and nothing happened. The blaster was discharged! When he realized that, Dronn was alreadyon him, strong arms catching him in a steely embrace. Luke kicked and punched with all his might, to no avail. It was like fist-fighting with a brickwall. Then he felt a strange smell, and knew he was lost.

Julian Dronn kept his grasp on the boy until the drug kicked in. He didn't have to wait much. Soon the punches became weaker and aimless. Blue eyes glazed.

"Han... help..." Luke tried desperately to shout but the words came out as a slurred whisper. He wanted to break free from those hateful arms and run home,find Han and... but his body was now so heavy and his head so light...

The Dark Hunter sighed as the child slumped unconscious in his arms.

"So beautiful. So innocent in spite of all the scars war had left. He is so like you, Anakin... so like you and so different from you!"


	4. the horror!

Disclaimer: Luke, Han and all StarWars Universe belong to George Lucas.

Rating: M

Time period: Shortly after ROTJ

Warnings: Slash. Luke/Han pairing.

* * *

_**Chapter 4: The Horror!**_

Han was pounding desperately at the window. When he woke up and saw that Luke had gone out all by himself he decided to go after the kid. Even with security system in maximum levels it was no good to wander around alone in the open.

But the door was locked. So were the windows. And when he ordered the central computer to unlock, he found out somebody had overriden it. To make things worse, Artoo was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit! Luke! Luke!" through the living room window he could see the beach. He could only watch helplessly as the tall man approached the kid, subdued him, and then carried the unconscious boy away. The Corellian all but screamed in frustration.

_Come on, don't loose your head now,_ with great effort he controlled his temper,_ Think! The guy didn't kill him, if he did he would simply leave the body behind; he didn't kill him, Gods, he didn't, he can't..._

Drawing a deep breath, Han headed to the comp terminal with a look of determination in his eyes._ You cursed mech, ya ain't keep me busted here, I'm gonna get out no matter what!_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------------------_

Big, colorful spots were dancing before his eyes. A gentle voice said something he couldn't understand. The bed was warm and comfortable. His fingers felt a soft fur blanket.

"Ah! You're awake!"

Slowly the spots stopped dancing and formed recognizable shapes: a lamp, a bedside table, a holographic picture of a young man that seemed vaguely familiar. It was a large bedroom, decorated in an overrefined fashion. Curiously, it had no windows.

"Where..." Luke tried to move and realized his body was having difficulties to understand what his brain was ordering. Then he saw the Dark Hunter sitting beside the bed and remembered.

"I wouldn't try to escape now." Julian Dronn smirked a little as the boy's blue eyes widened in alarm. "It will take some hours until the drug wear completely off. You aren't able to stand on your feet right now."

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?"

"I told you I had work to do on you, didn't I?"

"Work? On me? What kind of work?"

"This virus you carry, child, will never be off your system." Dronn pointed to Luke's chest. "In one or two days it will reactivate itself and it will take over your body, this time for good."

Luke paled visibly. Somehow he knew the man wasn't lying.

"How do you know that?" his voice sounded pathetic to his own ears.

"I know that because I am the primary source of your little bug. They made it using some unusual bloodcells my kind has."

"Your kind?"

"Dark Hunters. We are few but very well known and hated in Corellia and some other worlds. Do you know why?"

Feeling suddenly cold, Luke pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"I'm afraid I won't like what you're gonna say."

Julian Dronn smiled; this time it wasn't a smirk but a genuine, almost affectionate smile, and the young Jedi was taken aback by how gentle that hard, unnatural face could look.

"You have a lot of spirit; pity it won't help." the tall man took a small memo unit from his pocket and threw it on the bed. "Here. If you show these records to any scientist in the Galaxy he will say the same as I did."

Luke caught the memo unit cautiously, without taking his eyes off Dronn.

"Why are you doing this? Why do people hate you?"

"Answering the first question: it's part of my mission. Answering the second question: people hate us because we prey on humanoids."

"You prey...?"

Seven hells, how could one travel half of the Galaxy, defeat powerful enemies such as Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine and be so_ ignorant_ and _slow_?Julian Dronn leaned back on his chair and gave a small exhasperated sigh.

"We eat human flesh, we drink human blood."

"Oh."

"And once the virus reactivate itself you will either die or become one of us."

It took some seconds until the words actually sank in. _Eat human flesh. Drink human blood._

_No._

Luke shook his head violently, his eyes wide in panic.

"No!"

"I am sorry, child."

"No, it can't be... it..." the young Jedi shivered. "...but... you said I could die, didn't you? I'd rather die than become a cannibal!"

"Only if nobody takes care of you properly. But I am here, dear Jedi, and my mission is to make sure _you will not die_."

There was a long, cold silence between the Dark Hunter and the Jedi. For several seconds they remained absolutely still. Finally, Julian Dronn spoke again.

"As I told you, we are few. We are strong and powerful, our lives almost unbearably long... no one can defeat us in a fair combat, not even the Falcons, our most dreadful enemy. But still, we are diminishing. One day, many years before you were born, Palpatine made us a proposal: he wanted samples of our blood for a... scientific project; in exchange, he would exterminate the Falcons and allow us to make ours any survivors of the experiments, so that our kind wouldn't be gone forever."

"I thought the Imperial forces had chased and murdered the Jedi knights."

"Part of them, yes. And some escaped both the Imperials and the virus, like Master Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi. But many of them succumbed to our blood. "

"How did Yoda and Ben escaped?" as usual, curiosity prevailed against fear and distress in Luke's mind.

"I can only guess... Probably plain good luck. They were in pretty isolated places. If you had stayed there in Tattooine certainly you wouldn't have caught this bug. In fact, considering how much you've wandered around during the war, I'm surprised it had taken so long for you to catch it. D-101 can survive virtually in any environment and it was spread around the most strategic points of the Galaxy. "

"And who are these Falcons you talked about? You said Han was one of them."

"All I know about them is that they have been our enemies for ages. I was sure Palpatine had exterminated that cursed race until I sensed your guardian was one of them."

"So you fear them. You fear _him_." it was a silly provocation and Luke immediately regreted it. In a sudden burst of fury the Dark Hunter slapped his face. The boy fell on the pillows with a bleeding lip and his head reeling madly. For a moment he only saw stars.

"I fear nobody and nothing." Dronn sneered. "What am I to loose anyway? My past is bitter, my present hopeless and my future, dead. I am but a shadow and soon you will be just like me!"


	5. to the rescue

Disclaimer: Luke, Han and all StarWars Universe belong to George Lucas.

Rating: M

Time period: Shortly after ROTJ

Warnings: Slash. Luke/Han pairing.

* * *

**Chapter 6: To the rescue**

The comp terminal was reduced to a mass of burned steel and messed wires. Han had tried all the tricks he knew with little results and ended using his blaster. The front door started to open but froze some seconds later, leaving only a passage so narrow he couldn't even pass his fingers through it.

The Corellian kicked the terminal in angry frustration. Dammit, he had to get out! He had to get out before that... thing could do something to Luke.

It was a thing, not a man, he was sure. No man could move so fast and knock the kid out so easily. And he was also sure that thing was the source of that damned voice that sometimes echoed in his head.

_He called me Falcon._

A Dark Hunter.

Even as a small child Han had always laughed at his grandparents stories about the Dark Hunters and how their ancestors had fought them. Never believed in a word of it. First of all he'd never seen any of these cannibal monsters, not even a holopic; second, the Falcon grandpa claimed was the Solos' ally in such epic combat was nothing but a mithycal bird – Corellian folklore was full of things like that.

_Guess I was wrong._

A very familiar sound interrupted his thoughts. The roaring of engines, high up in the sky.

The Millenium Falcon.

Han ran to the window and saw his beloved ship approaching. He whooped in pure joy.

"Chewie, you son of a gun, great timing!"

x------------------------------------x---------------------------------x--------------------------

After the sudden burst of temper the Dark Hunter had calmed down in a matter of seconds. It was as if nothing had happened. He was now treating his victim's broken lip with a soft piece of cloth.

Drawing a deep breath, Luke closed his eyes in concentration, and Julian Dronn was startled by the fierce tendrils of Force that reached to his mind. So the child still could use at least part of his power, even hindered by the virus.

"You are the last of your kind." the young Jedi was now perfectly calm, as if partially in a trance. "You are alone. You are desperate because I am the last of the Jedi... the last one that could become a companion to you... the others never made it, did they? Despite your efforts throughout these years, all the Force sensitives who were contaminated died. All except... oh!"

Horror filled Luke's heart. The Dark Hunter stared at the holopic on the sidetable, his steely gray eyes unreadable. When he spoke, his voice was small and hollow.

"Your father was to be mine. He was to be a Dark Hunter and raise our kind from dust to glory! So powerful and pure and devoided of hope... But Palpatine wanted him for his own purposes."

A white pale hand grabbed the holopic. It was big, strong and ungraceful, and the fingernails looked more like claws, but it held and caressed the picture with unexpected tenderness.

"Beautiful and pure. You are beautiful, too, but not like him. You have too much hope. You are too flexible. His heart was black. Yours is gray. But you are as powerful as he was, maybe more. When you become a Dark Hunter our kind will blossom once more."

Dronn put the holopic back and turned to Luke.

"It is time. I have to do it before the virus reactivate itself."

Luke tried to jump off the bed but the Dark Hunter grabbed his wrists and pinned him down.

"Get off me!" the young Jedi struggled desperately. He tried to reach the Force but he couldn't concentrate with Dronn grabbing his jaw and forcing his mouth open.

"This is my gift to you, young Luke."

Julian Dronn covered his victim's mouth with his own.

No matter how hard the boy fought he couldn't break that disgusting kiss. Suddenly Luke felt some kind of hot liquid trickling down his throat. It was foul and thick...

It was blood.

He choked and gasped in pure panic but it wouldn't stop. As the dark blood reached his insides it spread unpleasant warmth and lethargy through his body.

When Julian Dronn finally released him, Luke was limp as a rag doll and his eyes gleamed with tears of defeat and frustration. The Dark Hunter wiped them gently with his thumb.

"Do not despair. You will live."

"I do not wish to live." the young Jedi tried to move away from his tormentor and found out he didn't have the strenght to raise a finger.

"You will sleep now. When you awake you will thank me."

"I will not... sleep... don't want..." but his eyes were already closing. "...no... please... don't do this to me... kill... me..."


	6. revelations

Disclaimer: Luke, Han and all StarWars Universe belong to George Lucas.

Rating: M

Time period: Shortly after ROTJ

Warnings: Slash. Luke/Han pairing.

* * *

_**Chapter six: revelations**_

Chewbacca had found Artoo hidden in the backyard and made the droid restore the house system to normal settings. Finally free, Han grabbed his blaster and ran to where he last saw the Dark Hunter and Luke.

"Find out what's wrong with the tin can" he'd told Chewie before leaving. "I'm pretty sure the sonofabitch somehow messed up with his circuits. If you fix him he may be able to give us some useful info!"

Hours had passed since Luke was taken and the wind had partially erased the footprints on the sand but still there was enough to have an idea of the direction he should follow. Anyway, few minutes after he reached the beach his com biped.

/Artoo knows where they are. I'm sending the coordinates./

"Great job, pal."

/I didn't do anything, Han. Artoo simply gave out the information even before I asked. It was as if he had been programmed to do it./ Chewie's barks sounded totally baffled. /Be careful, my friend. It can be a trap./

"I will!"

The coordinates led to somewhere in the middle of the woods – a perfect place for an ambush. Knowing that didn't stop Han from running there as fast as he could, though. Ambush or not, it was his only clue to save Luke.

_Hang on, kid. Hang on just a little more, I'm coming!_

_I can't lose you. I can't. I can't! I love you. I love you and it scares me to death to say it because I don't want it to be like it was with Leia..._

Leia. She was so quiet the day they parted. She hadn't so much as twitched when he told that he was leaving and why.

"I want only one thing from you, Han."

"What?"

"Do not hurt Luke the way you hurt me." her eyes were cold steel when she'd said that. Han could only give an incredulous snort.

"Why would I hurt the kid? Dammit, I love him!"

"Are you sure?"

"Sith, would I risk making a fool of myself and tell _you_ if I weren't? Of course I'm sure!"

"But back there in Endor, when we decided to commit to marriage..._you were sure you loved me_, weren't you?"

That had taken him aback. Yes, at that time he was sure he loved Leia more than anything. But then...

_Feelings change._

"Yes, feelings change and I can live with that, Han. But I don't think Luke can. He's so... so _intense_. And after he became a Jedi and learned to keep his emotions at bay it seems he is growing even more passionate deep inside. I actually believe you could destroy Luke if you started a relationship with him and changed your mind later, like you have already done to me..."

And so she left, not giving him a chance to talk back. No tears, no shouts, just that cold warning. Funny how their relationship had blossomed while they were bickering furiously and started to wither precisely when they stopped doing that.

_Why are you in such rush, Falcon?_

Han stopped dead and blinked in surprise. He had reached a clearing in the woods when he heard the voice in his head. It took him some time to discern the house partially covered in thick ivies and the tall, pale man in front of it.

x----------------------------x-----------------------x---------------------------------

Luke startled awoke. Han was near, he could sense him. The young Jedi sat up and realized he was alone in the bedroom. He was feeling a bit groggy but the lethargy and the disgusting sensation in his insides was gone.

_Oh Gods, he did it! He turned me into a... a..._

Overwhelmed by horror the boy frantically started to look for a weapon – a blaster, his lightsaber, anything he could use to kill himself. Then, he spotted a small red vial and a holomessage disc blinking on the sidetable. His father's holopic was gone.

x--------------------------------x--------------------------x---------------------------

_The best way to defeat a Dark Hunter is to make him bleed._

Of all the things grandpa used to speak constantly about Dark Hunters Han could remember that one clearly, thank the Gods for that. A blaster usually produced scorch wounds so it wouldn't work; this was one rare situation in which a blade would be the best choice.

The Corellian reached for the knife he had hidden in his boot – an ancient weapon, the only one legacy his family ever had. He used to keep it in a secret vault in the Falcon. Chewbacca had brought it and handed it to him before his desperate run after Luke.

/I had a hunch you would need it./

_Wookies do have a great intuition..._

The best targets were the throat, wrists, thighs and ankles. If he could cut deep at one of those without being caught...

"Where's Luke?"

"He's inside." the Dark Hunter didn't move a muscle, his arms crossed in a sign of determination. "You will have to put me down to get to him."

Han lunged at his oponent ferociously. Julian Dronn stepped aside and smirked as the Corellian fell on the ground.

"You are too slow, Falcon."

"But I got you."

It was only then that Dronn realized a small cut in his hand. It was not deep but it bled considerably.

For some minutes the two men engaged in fierce combat, none of them managing to get any advantage.

Han lunged again but this time the Dark Hunter grabbed his throat. He had an iron grip and soon the Corellian was gasping for air, trying desperately to keep blowing with the knife. _Make him bleed, make the son of a bitch bleed enough and he'll loose the grip!_

And then, there was a sound of wood breaking, the familiar swoosh of a lightsaber and somebody yelled behind them.

"Stop!"

With great effort Luke had managed to blast the doors open using the Force. He felt horribly drained and dizzy but did his best not to show.

Julian Dronn released the unconscious Falcon and gave Luke a sad smile. He stared at his own bleeding arms.

"This is not enough to kill me..." he muttered, seeming slightly disappointed.

"You don't have to die." Luke turned off his lightsaber and offered his hand. "You didn't do it, did you? The blood you gave me..."

The Dark Hunter turned his back to the young Jedi, looking embarrassed.

"My blood can only prevent the bug from reactivating itself. It will not cure you. As I told you, this virus you have will never be eliminated. You will never be able to use your Jedi abilities to the fullest again.."

"I don't care. Not now. I'm just glad to be alive _and normal_, and to know you never meant to turn me into a Dark Hunter."

"Oh, I** _did_** mean to do it, child. If I had given you just a little more of my blood, just two or three drops, you would have been transformed." Dronn leaned against a tree and closed hiseyes for a moment.

_"You don't know what it is to be so utterly alone in this Universe." _

Wouldthat young Jediunderstand like his father did? Probably not.But the Dark Hunter didn't care. He just wanted to keep talking until he could gather the courage to leave and give up what little hope he still had to escape from his fate.

"_When I first met your father he was badly wounded, almost dead. He had confronted Obi Wan Kenobi and lost. As I nursed him back to life we became friends... and for the first time in decades I had someone by my side... a humanoid who could read my soul like one of my kind. Then Palpatine came and took him from me and I was alone again. But this time loneliness hurt twice as bad. I wanted you to be my companion, I thought it would make me miss him less. It wouldn't work, though, I soon realized it. You are not Anakin."_

"So you wanted to die, didn't you? I bet you weren't even fighting seriously... you were actually trying to make Han kill you." Luke offered his hand once more. "You don't have to die. We will find a way to help you."

The Dark Hunter laughed bitterly.

"You have too much hope. Your heart is not dark enough." he glanced at the young Jedi and sighed in defeat. "Do not pity me. I will not kill myself if this is what you fear, young one. It is impossible for a Dark Hunter to commit suicide."

"It's not pity, I really want to help..."

"It _**is**_ pity and it _**is**_ hurting what is left of my pride. I do not want to speak with you anymore. Farewell, Jedi. Forget about me and take care of yourself. You have other enemies, most of them not as powerful as I am but much, much more traitorous..."

And with that, he left the clearing at an inhuman speed. In a blink of an eye he was gone. Luke reached to the small red vial he had put in his pocket – some drops of the Dark Hunter's blood that, according to the information in the holodisc, would be enough to produce a vaccin and immunize Leia and any remaining Force sensitive in the Galaxy from the virus.

"Thank you, Julian..."

_And now that our heroes are safe, will they fall on each other's arms at last?  
__Coming up next - The Final Chapter!_

_P.S.: I wish to thank the reviewers. You made my day! - _

_I hope to be sending msgs to each of you by the time this is online. _


	7. the end

Disclaimer: Luke, Han and all StarWars Universe belong to George Lucas.

Rating: M

Time period: Shortly after ROTJ

Warnings: Slash. Luke/Han pairing.

* * *

_**Chapter eight: the end**_

It took some time until Han realized he was in a bed. Small, strong hands were grabbing his shoulders.

"Han!"

Concerned blue eyes were staring at him.

Luke.

Green pale, hair and clothes disheveled, trembling, but alive and apparently, not hurt. The Corellian sighed in relief.

"Gods... I thought..." unable to find words, he flung his arms around the younger man's waist and pulled him to a tight embrace. "You'll be the death of me, kid!"

Luke closed his eyes and relaxed in his friend's arms. After all that had happened he was exhausted and still had to use all the little remaining energy he had to help Han into Julian's house and into the bedroom where he'd been held prisoner – he would rather go back to the safe house but it was too late and they would never make it before dark, not in the state both of them were.

"Luke?"

"Hmmm?"

"You OK?"

"Yep. You?"

"I'm Ok. Where are we?"

"_His_ place. Don't worry. He's gone."

Han tipped the kid's face up.

"Did that... _thing_ hurt you?"

"No. He wanted to, but didn't have the heart to do it." Luke raised a hand to touch a bruise in the other man's forehead. "I'm sorry for that..."

"Why? He did it, not you." Han grabbed the boy's hand and kissed it.

_I love you._

_Feelings change._

_Don't wanna hurt you the way I hurt Leia._

_You don't know what it is to be so utterly alone in the Universe._

_I love you._

"Han?"

"Yeah?"

Luke rested his head on Han's chest. His voice was small and unsteady when he spoke.

"Can I sleep with you tonight? Just this once? I... I love you, but if you don't feel the same for me it's... it's alright and mmmmm..."

A hot, wet and hungry kiss interrupted the young Jedi, who suddenly found himself under the Corellian.

"Han, you... oh!" blue eyes widened in surprise as the kid felt something hard and hot poking at his thigh. He smiled then, and flung his arms around the older man's neck, pulling him close.

In a matter of minutes, clothes fell on the floor. A chilly night breeze blew through the broken door making the bedroom temperature drop down several degrees. Luke felt nothing, though. He'd never felt so warm and safe in his whole life. Han felt nothing, either. He was too overwhelmed by the turmoil of emotions that filled his soul.

_Feelings change._

_Yes. And they can change for the better._

_You are the only one for me in this whole Galaxy._

He stared at Luke. The kid's face was flushed now, blue eyes half-closed, gleaming with unshed tears, a shaky smile curving his lips. So trusting. So alive.

_Forever._

"I – love – you." and Han punctuated each word with a kiss.

_**THE END...**_

_Liked it? Reviews are always welcome, so if you feel like it, please send me a comment..._ :-)


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